Top 10 2009 NFL Rookie Wide Receivers

With just three games remaining in the 2009 season, we've reached the point where the best rookie receivers are either winding down after hitting the "rookie wall", or they're just getting started, as they help aid their team into the playoffs.

Either way, we know who the top guys are, and there's unlikely to be any new rookies to step out of their shadows in the final three weeks to claim a spot in the top 10.

Take a look at where your favorite rookie receiver ranks for the 2009 season.

10. Brian Hartline (Miami Dolphins)

Stats: 24 REC 345 YDS 3 TDS

Hartline flirted with the starting line-up earlier in the season, and after former first rounder Ted Ginn Jr. again disappointed as the starter, he earned the job back, and has been performing well ever since.

Hartline has at least three grabs in three straight games, while scoring twice over that span.

A shifty slot receiver with good speed and solid play-making ability, the former Ohio State product has developed into a more consistent receiving threat that his Buckeye counterpart, Ginn, has in 2009.

9. Louis Murphy (Oakland Raiders)

Stats: 24 REC 419 YDS 4 TDS

Murphy has by no means been the most consistent of rookie options, but considering he spent over half of the season getting passes thrown to him by the terribly inaccurate Jamarcus Russell, we should be willing to give him a mulligan. Or two. Or three.

Either way, Murphy started off his rookie campaign hot, catching four passes for 87 yards and a score on opening day, before fizzling out over the next 4-5 weeks.

However, after Russell's benching and Bruce Gradkowski's emergence, Murphy exploded back onto the scene with a huge performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers, hauling in four passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

His consistency and reliability still has a long way to go, as do his spotty ball skills, but the explosiveness is there. That kind of production and ability cannot be ignored, which is why Murphy lands at no. 9 on this list.

8. Mike Wallace (Pittsburgh Steelers)

Stats: 32 REC 530 YDS 3 TDS

Wallace had his coming-out party in Week Three, where he hauled in seven grabs for 102 yards against a solid Cincinnati defense, while also exposing their average slot coverage.

This opened up Ben Roethlisberger's eyes and showed him that Wallace could make plays, giving him a solid, reliable third option behind stars, Hines Ward and Santonio Holmes.

Wallace proceeded to rack up four 50+ yard games in his next five contests, while scoring three touchdowns in his next six games.

The Steelers offense (and team) as a whole has been struggling lately, but there's no ignoring the impact Wallace had earlier in the season.

7. Johnny Knox (Chicago Bears)

Stats: 41 REC 498 YDS 5 TDS

Never one without great speed, Knox broke onto the scene exactly the way the Bears (and the rest of the football world) expected him to: with the deep ball.

Knox caught just two balls in his debut against the Green Bay Packers, but brought them in for 82 yards, quickly showing Green Bay and the rest of the league that, regardless of his need for route-running refinement, Knox could make up for any lack of knowledge with pure speed and ability.

Knox continues his efforts with six catches for 70 yards and a score the following week, and even when he was held to just one catch in week three, he still found a way to the end-zone.

While Knox would go on to struggle with consistency and the ability to find the deep ball while Jay Cutler and the rest of the passing game was searching for it's early season mojo, he still brought the potential of the big play, and honed his craft in the slot over the course of the season.

Knox reminded us all again of all that game-breaking potential with five catches for 83 yards and a touchdown in Week 15, his second touchdown in three games.

He may not be on the level of the top five receivers in this list, but he's definitely made a strong impact (and impression) in his initial season.

6. Kenny Britt (Tennessee Titans)

Stats: 38 REC 642 YDS 3 TDS

After showing his potential in the first game of the 2009 season and then showing more glimpses of what he could do in the next three contests, Britt hit his own version of the "rookie wall", as he recorded just five catches over his next five games.

However, after the switch from Kerry Collins to Vince Young was made permanent, Britt began developing solid chemistry with his quarterback, and then received a boost in playing time with starter Justin Gage out due to a back injury.

Britt stepped up immediately, as he registered a career high 128 receiving yards against the Arizona Cardinals, and even caught the game-winning touchdown.

With three scores in his last four games, Britt is officially the Titans' number one receiver, even with Justin Gage healthy again, and stands as one of the top rookie receivers of 2009.

5. Jeremy Maclin (Philadelphia Eagles)

Stats: 46 REC 623 YDS 4 TDS

Maclin stepped in after Kevin Curtis went down early in the season, and never looked back. The former Missouri product has caught a pass in every game since week two, and made a huge splash with a 140+ yard and two score effort against the Oakland Raiders in week five.

Since then, Maclin hasn't been spectacular, but his consistency has been hard to match by any other rookie receiver. A foot injury kept him from making an impact against the Giants in Week 15, and could threaten the rest of his 2009 season, but he had recently been playing efficient football.

With at least four catches and 63 yards in four straight games, Maclin had molded himself into a reliable weapon Donovan McNabb could count on.

4. Hakeem Nicks (New York Giants)

Stats: 38 REC 685 YDS 6 TDS

Nicks came into 2009 as the third wide receiver in New York, at best, and began the season with injury issues that kept him from making a true impact until Week Four, where he took his only catch 54 yards for a score.

Nicks earned more playing time from this big play, and caught four passes for 49 yards and another score the following week.

Since then, Nicks has done nothing but record at least 60 yards in five of his last eight contests, while scoring five times over that span.

Nicks finally made his first NFL start in Week 15, supplanting Mario Manningham as the number two receiver opposite of Steve Smith, and justified the move with four catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Nicks has combined his explosive play-making ability with improved route-running, and has quickly turned into one of the better young receivers in the game.

3. Michael Crabtree (San Francisco 49ers)

Stats: 37 REC 473 YDS 2 TDS

Despite missing the first five weeks of the 2009 season with contract issues, Crabtree has come on strong and displayed his remarkable ability to do things with the ball when it's in his hands.

In just eight games, Crabtree has recorded 37 catches, failing to catch under four passes just once during that span.

He hasn't been a touchdown demon, as Alex Smith has found a better red-zone connection with star tight end Vernon Davis, but Crabtree has grown to be a very consistent and reliable source for moving the chains for the 49ers.

If there was every any doubt about his ability or character, it has been erased over the past eight weeks of stellar play.

2. Austin Collie (Indianapolis Colts)

Stats: 50 REC 540 YDS 6 TDS

Since entering the league, Collie has done nothing but learn from Peyton Manning, know his role, and execute when called upon.

The former BYU product has arguably the best hands and route-running ability of all the rookie receivers, and heads his class with 50 receptions through 13 games.

His six scores tie for the lead among his peers, as well, and if it weren't for the number one guy's versatility and value to his team, Collie would be gracing the top spot of this list.

He's a nice underdog story, that ironically never would have came to be if it weren't for the unfortunate knee injury to Anthony Gonzalez.

1. Percy Harvin (Minnesota Vikings)

Stats: 48 REC 681 YDS 6 TDS

While the start of Harvin's 2009 season was solid, he wasn't looked at as much more than a decoy or just another "piece of the puzzle" in a Minnesota offense that was largely presumed to be a run-first show.

However, with his growth and the trust Brett Favre has put in him, Harvin has done nothing but live up to and exceed expectations.

With at least five receptions in four of his past five games, Harvin is officially a huge part of the Vikings high-powered offense.

He also has contributed on a regular basis as a spark on special teams, three times totaling over 167 yards on kick returns, and twice changing games with a return for a touchdown.

Harvin is arguably a contender for offensive rookie of the year, while almost definitely the top receiver in his class.

Honorable Mentions

A couple guys that were close calls, but ultimately didn't have the numbers or video tape results to keep Briant Hartline from making the list:

Brandon Gibson (St. Louis Rams)

Julian Edelman (New England Patriots)

Mike Thomas (Jacksonville Jaguars)

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